There are no spoilers in this review. It was #9 on my top ten most anticipated of 2011 list.
PLOT: After his father dies, Britt Reid, heir to a newspaper empire, takes it upon himself to rid L.A of crime, with the help of his father's brilliant, kung-fu fighting mechanic, Kato.
THE GOOD: Gondry scenes. Michel Gondry was a weird choice for directing The Green Hornet. I was excited when I heard that he was going to take the helm on this project that had been in limbo since 1992. Gondry is one of my favorite directors only for his creative visual style. I'm repeating myself, but Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of my favorite movies ever. 2008's Be Kind Rewind left something to be desired, but was full of Gondryisms, so I actually enjoyed it. Without it, we definitely wouldn't have the term "Sweded". Every now and then, I get on YouTube and look up Michel Gondry music videos because they are such a treat to watch. If you've never done this, I highly recommend it. It is entertaining, to say the least. One of the problems with The Green Hornet is that Gondry didn't play around with it enough. I don't know if it's because he didn't get a chance to or if it's because he didn't write it, but it really misses the mark on the eye-candy. The film is not void of all Gondry though. The martial arts sequences with Kato are pretty sweet. Gondry employs bullet time for some of the fight scenes, which he was one of the first to start using in entertainment media. In fact, he was using bullet time a year before The Matrix came out in commercials and music videos. It's used quite effectively in Green Hornet with Kato kicking and punching guys, those guys falling to the ground in slow motion while the camera rotates around, and Kato continues to beat up other dudes in regular motion. It's a little hard to explain, but when you see it, you'll understand (some of it can be seen in this little featurette). It nullifies the whole distraction of bad guys waiting on the side to take a turn to attack someone. Because, come on, in real-life they would be attacking one person all at the same time. There's also the multiple car stretching stuff that looks pretty cool, but is only used twice, I think. Another effect Gondry has had in his toolbelt for a while. He has an obsession with multiplying. Anyone familiar with the music video for The Chemical Brothers' "Let Forever Be" will notice similarities, but there are other uses of multiples in The White Stripes' "The Hardest Button to Button," Kylie Monogue's "Come Into My World," and another Chemical Brothers music video for "Star Guitar." The only difference is that this effect is used in more of an action-oriented environment, so it creates this cool in-camera 3D look. These parts really aren't where Gondry shines in the movie though. His true, creative self comes out later in the film, when villain Benjamin Chudnofsky (played by Academy Award-winning actor Christoph Waltz) sends one of his minions to spread the word about capturing the Green Hornet to all the gangs and dealers in the city's criminal underworld. It's a fantastic sequence where the screen splits into smaller and smaller frames following each person hearing the news and telling the next person. All this feels like it's in real-time, as if Gondry had 16 cameras to use at once, but it's rather just some smart Hollywood magic. I would love to dissect this sequence more.
Seth Rogan fights off the people attacking him in the street over this movie.
THE BAD: Plot. When it all comes down to it, there is none. Britt Read (played by Seth Rogan) and Kato (played by Taiwanese singer, songwriter, musician, director, and actor
Comedy. I think it was wrong to approach this franchise with a comedy-bromance style. The Green Hornet can have great potential if you make it a more serious adaptation. Christopher Nolan may have set the bar too high when it comes to superhero movies, but I think taking more of a Batman Begins approach to this whole film could have helped. Sure, I chuckled a couple of times in The Green Hornet, but overall the jokes are not funny. And the new Batman movies give me a few chuckles, too.
Chemistry. Rogan and Chou fail to do what a good buddy film has to have, and that is create chemistry between two very unlikely people. Look at Jackie Chan and the success he had with Chris Tucker and Owen Wilson in Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon, respectively. There's something about Chan's innocence and new exposure to the western world that is endearing. Nothing like that is written for Chou's character who I thought came off as a bit show-offy and shallow. Just as shallow as his "friend", Britt. Kato should have been the anchor that holds The Green Hornet to the ground, but they both seem to be just as careless. Neither are also any good, acting-wise. Rogan kind of plays the same character he does in all his other movies, but he's rich and maybe a little less stoned. Chou is a musician before he's an actor, so don't expect a fantastic performance from him. He's quite capable of some strong performances and his martial arts skills are good, but maybe it was the poor writing (also by Seth Rogan and his buddy Evan Goldberg) that made him weak. That, and not being Bruce Lee. Either way, this relationship just doesn't work.
The bad guys are taken aback by Kato's stinky armpits.
Cameron Diaz's character. I'll let this picture speak for this section.
THE END: If I paid to see movies and I knew what I know now about The Green Hornet, I would not have gone to see this in the theatre. It's a solid rental for me only because you must see some of Michel Gondry's really neat special effects. Other than that, the film doesn't have anything to offer. I don't even think older adults who used to listen to The Green Hornet radio program would find much nostalgia value in this. If you do decide to see it in theatres, opt-out of the 3D. The 3D is really good for post-conversion, but not necessary.
DISCUSS: What did you think of The Green Hornet? Do you like Michel Gondry's other films? What do you think could have been improved on in this movie?
This is what happens when you let Seth Rogan eat too many beans.
Seth Rogan is a talentless fool. It seems as though he's run out of roles to play, so he wrote one for himself. I will rejoice the day that he gives up acting.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that Michael Gondry directed The White Stripes' Hardest Button to Button and Fell in Love with a Girl! Two of my favorite music videos. :-)